Bleaker Island

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Bleaker Island (Spanish: Isla Maria) is one of the Falkland Islands, lying off south east Lafonia (the southern peninsula of East Falkland). The name is a corruption of "Breaker Island" due to the waves that break on it. It was also known as "Long Island" at one point.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Wildlife
4 External links

The island is long, narrow and low-lying and has an area of 20.7 square kilometres. It contains many sandy beaches. Because it is so low-lying, there are several shipwrecks round about it. The highest point is Semaphore Hill, which is 29 metres high.

Bleaker Island has been a sheep farm for over a hundred years, and was owned by Arthur Cobb in the early 20th century who wrote a book on the subject, containing forty six of his own black and white photographs.

It has been run as an organic sheep and cattle farm by Mike and Phyll Rendell (absentee landlords) since 1999, and has the small Bleaker Island Settlement located on an isthmus in the centre of its length. They built a house there in 2000 called "the Outlook", and employ a farming couple who live there.

The northern half is a natioanl nature reserve.

Like many of the Falklands, the island is home to penguins, sea lions, and albatrosses, as well as stands of tussac grass.

Flora includes the yellow and dog orchid, and lady's slipper.